Borehole photographic apparatus providing fluid displacement



May 2, 1961 c. c. LAVAL, .1R

BOREHOLE PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS PROVIDING FLUID DISPLACEMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 21, 1959 CLAUDE c. AVA/ JR.

/NVE/V TOR Hua-@NER a wams/ WOR/VE YS mx/M May 2, 1961 c. c. LAVAL, JR

BOREHOLE PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS PROVIDING FLUID DISPLACEMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed sept. 21, 1959 CLAUDE C. LAVAL,JR.

/NI/ENTO/P HUEBNEI? 8 WORREL United States Patent Otice Patented May 2, 1961 BOREHOLE PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS PRO- VIDING FLUID DISPLACEMENT Claude C. Laval, Jr., 2444 Farris Ave., Fresno, Calif. Filed Sept. 21, 1959, Ser. No. 841,310

Claims. (Cl. 95-11) 'I'he present invention relates to a borehole photographic apparatus and more particularly to such an apparatus for insertion into a borehole containing a fluid and for displacing such fluid for photographic purposes. It is to be understood that the term photographic apparatus, as employed herein is intended to include all apparatus for producing a viewable image whether of the light sensitive chemical, electrical or other form and whether such image is of relatively permanent or evanescent character.

The environment and problems solved by the subject invention are conveniently described by reference to my prior U.S. Patent No. 2,677,996. A borehole camera apparatus is described therein which is adapted to be lowered into a well, for example, and to take photographs therein. The apparatus is of particular significance in its ability to take photographs even below the surface of opaque or translucent liuids in the well. This is accomplished by exchanging a uid medium contained in the apparatus through which photographs can be taken for duid in the well through which satisfactory photographs cannot be taken. 'Ihe apparatus is excellently suited to the purpose but requires the provision of a Huid barrier in the well to separate the exchange iluid from the well iluid. In wells or other boreholes which are perforate or contain obstructions it is sometimes diicult or impractical to provide the fluid barrier. It is therefore an object of the instant invention to provide a borehole photographic apparatus for the same general purposes as that shown in my U.S. Patent No. 2,677,996 but which provides the desired fluid barrier without requiring circumscribing engagement with walls of the borehole.

I t has been discovered in use of the apparatus of the above identified patent that elongated objects, such as drill stems, tubes, and tools are sometimes lost in Wells in positions of diiicult access. In order to retrieve these objects it is usually helpful to photograph the same in an effort to determine their shapes, precise attitudes in the wells, and positions. Because of their length and diameter in relation to the borehole, or well casing therein, such objects frequently are in upwardly inclined position with their upper ends rested against the side of the borehole. It is desirable to photograph the upper end of the lost object in order to plan the best way to effect its retrieval. While my previous photographic apparatus is capable of making such photographs, it requires the utilization of a wall engaging fluid barrier which in some instances is disadvantageous. Another object of the present invention is to provide a photographic apparatus adapted for the expeditious photographing of such drill stems, tubes, tools and the like.

Another object is to provide a photographic apparatus hiving means to move objects to be photographed in a borehole into the photographic eld of photographic apparatus inserted into the hole.

Another object is to take photographs in wells containing opaque or translucent iiuid.

Another object is to immerse the upper end portion of an object to be photographed in a photographic fluid medium while taking a picture of said end portion.

Another object is to provide an apparatus of the character indicated which is easy to insert into and remove from a borehole whether dry or filled with a borehole fluid.

Other objects are to provide an apparatus of the nature described which is simple and economical to make and use, dependable in operation, and excellently suited for its intended purpose.

These together with other objects will become more fully apparent upon reference to the following description and accompanying drawing.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a fragmentary longitudinal section of a borehole containing a well uid, a side elevation of a portion of an object to be photographed, and a view, partly in side elevation and partly in section, of a photographic apparatus embodying the principles of the present invention suspended in the borehole and in position for photographing said object.

Fig. 2 is a somewhat enlarged fragmentary longitudinal section of a portion of the subject photographing apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a somewhat enlarged transverse section taken on a plane at a position represented by line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a somewhat enlarged longitudinal section of an air vent taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the structure in a subsequent operational condition as when photographs are being taken.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, an elongated, generally cylindrical well casing is indicated by the numeral 10 in Fig. 1 and contains a well fluid 11 which is usually opaque or translucent. The well casing is located in a borehole, not shown, of a subterranean well. The casing is illustrative of a characteristic operational environment. The device of the subject invention may be employed in boreholes generally and like locations whether cased or uncased.

The photographic apparatus of the present invention includes an elongated preferably cylindrical housing 15 having an annular side wall 16 circumscribing a longitudinal axis for the housing, an upper end wall 17, and a lower end wall 18. A camera 19 of any suitable light sensitive chemical, electronic or other type is mounted within the housing 15 adjacent to the lower end wall thereof and includes a lens, not shown, having a substantially conical photographic field, indicated at 20 in Fig. l, extended divergently endwardly from the lower end wall in substantially concentric relation to the axis of the housing. A substantially cylindrical window 21, preferably of Solid transparent material, is mounted in duid-tight relation in the lower end wall coaxially of the lens of the camera. The window has a lower laterally, downwardly disposed, oblique surface for a purpose to be described. An electric lamp 23, for use with the camera, is mounted in the lower wall and is provided with electrical leads 24 connected to any suitable source of electrical energy, not shown.

A partition 25 is rigidly transversely mounted within the side wall 16 in spaced parallel relation between the upper and lower end walls 17 and 18. The partition, upper end wall, and side wall define a bladder containing compartment 26 within the housing 15. A transparent iiuid photographing medium 27 is contained in a hollow, iluid impervious, elastic bladder or reservoir 28 located within the compartment 26, which is connected to the upper wall 17, and provides a downwardly disposed neck G0 mounted in fluid-tight relation in the partition. For a.

sure equalizing purposes, Ithe side wall 16 of the compartment 26 is slotted or otherwise ported at 31 for thel passage of fluid of the well to and from the compartment.

An elongated tubular, fluid impervious substantially rigid'sleevefSS includes upper, lower, and intermediate, substantially cylindrical sections 36, 37, and 38, respectively. rIhe upper section is screw-threadably connected to the lower end portion of the housing and extends coaxially downwardly from the lower end wall 18 in circumscribing relation to the window 21 and therefore the lens, not shown, of the camera 19. The intermediate section of the sleeve is of slightly greater diameter than the upper section and is screw-threaded on the lower end of the upper section in coaxial extension therefrom. In like manner, the lower section is slightly greater in diameter than the intermediate section and is screw-threadably connected to the latter in coaxial extension therefrom. The upper and intermediate sections provide smoothly divergently flared lower end portions, and the lower section provides a lower, annular, downwardly divergently flared, wedging end 40 terminating in an edge providing the maximum diameter of the sleeve. As is'evident, the wedging end alsocircumscribes an opening 41Y for the sleeve in downwardly spaced relation to the window 21. It will be evident that the sections of the sleeve are of -gradually increased diameter downwardly from the housing so that the sleeve is annularly downwardly divergently extended from the housing in circumscribing relation to the photographic field of the camera 19. VClearlythe sleeve may be of frusto-conical form rather than of stepped downwardly divergent form if desired.

An air vent 46 is mounted -in the upper section 36 of the sleeve closelyl adjacent to the lower end wall 18 of the housing 15'. While'this air vent is of well-known construction, it is briefly described herein. With particular reference to Fig. 4, the vent includes a base 47 mounted in the upper section of the sleeve byV means of nuts 48 and annular seals 49. The base provides an inlet 50 in communication with the interior of the sleeve. A ball check valve 51 is disposed in the base and isfreleasably held in closed position by means of a compression spring 52. The base provides a socket in which is located an annular gasket 53.

The vent 46 also provides a venting body 55 screwthreaded in the socket of the base 47 and providing air outlets 56. The body also has a cylindrical cavity in which are tted a plurality of hygroscopic fiber discs 57 in side-by-sideV relation. A screw 59 has a stem extended through the discs, fitted in the body, and a head screwthreaded in the body for holding the discs in place. An air vent of this construction is sold by the Hoffman Specialty Mfg. Corp. and is commercially identified as the Hoffman No. 500 Automatic Air Vent. Any suitable device for emitting air but blocking the passage of liquid may be employed.

A fluid pumping system is provided in the subject apparatus and includes a reversible fluid pump 65 mounted within the housing 15 and driven by means of an electrical pump motor 66. Electrical control wires 67 are connectedto the motor and extend upwardly through the housing and the upper end wall 17 thereof along with electric conductors for the lamp 23 and camera 19. A reservoir duct 69 is connected to the inlet of the pump andis in fluid communication with the bladder 28 through the partition 25. The pump also has an outlet connected to the interior of the sleeve 3S by means of a transfer conduit 70 extended in huid-tight relation through the lower end wall 1S of the housing. The transfer conduit has a lower radially inwardly extended portion 71 terminating in an open end 72 adjacent to the oblique surface of the window 21 and directed theretoward.

An eye bolt Stlis rigidly Vconnected to the upper end wall 17 of thehousing 15, and au elongated cable 81 is 4 connected to the eye bolt for enabling the apparatus to be lowered within the casing 10 and the borehole.

Operation The operation of the described embodiment of the subject invention is believed to be readily apparent and is briefly summarized at this point. It is to be recalled that elongated objects, as indicated by the numeral in Fig. l, are frequently lost within a well casing 1li. Prior to removing such an object, it is extremely helpful to photograph the same in an effort to determine its nature, position, attitude, and the like. As illustrated in dashed lines, such an object is frequently extended longitudinally of the borehole in an upwardly inclined position leaning against the side of the borehole.l

In order to photograph the object 90, the housing 15 is lowered into the bore hole 10 by means of the cable 81. Assuming that there is an opaque or translucent fluid 11 in the borehole, it will be evident that the housing is submersedlin the fluid as it is lowered in the borehole. The electrical control wires 67 of course extend upwardly from the housing to the top of the well along with they lowering cable. As the housing descends, air is trapped in the sleeve 35 between the lower end wall 18 of the housingand the upper surface of the borehole luid 11 within the lower end of the sleeve. In order to facilitate descent of the housing, this air is bled from the sleeve through the vent 46. Specifically, air enters the vent through the inlet 50, passes around `the ball check valve 51, between the base 47 and the body 55 including the interconnected threads thereof and emerges from the vent and thus the sleeve by way of outlets 56 in the vent. It is to be noted, however, that this vent does not allow liquid within the sleeve to escape in any objectionable quantities.

When the housing 15 is lowered a suicient distance in theV borehole 10, the wedging end 40 engages the upper end of the object 90 and, by mere weight of the apparatus, this wedging end is inserted between the side of the casing 10 and the object to urge the object away from the side of the borehole and upwardly into the sleeve 35 through the opening 41. This brings the object more nearly into axial alignment with the housing 15 and the sleeve and, more significantly, within the photographic field 20 of the camera 19. If the object 90 is jammed in position or otherwise immovable, the advantages of the wedging action cannot be realized but photographs thereof may nevertheless usually be obtained.

Because the borehole iiuid 11 within the sleeve normally prevents the taking of a photograph therethrough, it is usually necessary to exchange this iluid with the desirable( photographing fluid medium 27 in the bladder 28. Accordingly, the pump motor 66 is energized from the top of the well to energize the pump 65 so as to pump the fluid medium from the bladder downwardly through the transfer conduit 70 into the sleeve 35. In the illustrated embodiment, the uid medium is of lower specific gravity than the borehole Huid 111. As the bladder contracts incident to 'removal of lluid 27 therefrom, well fluid enters the compartment 26 through the ports 31 so as to equalize pressures internally and externally of the compartment. As the fluid medium discharges from the lower end portion 71 of the conduit 70, it impinges against the oblique surface of the window 21 to ush dirt, or other opaque material, therefrom. When a complete exchange has been effected, as shown in Fig. 5, the portion of the object`90 within the sleeve 35 is immersed in the desirable transparent photographing medium 27. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the replacement fluid can be gas or liquid but under normal circumstances, liquid is preferred. If sufficient air is trapped in the sleeve, for example in the absence of the valve 46, and the apparatus is lowered in the hole without restriction, it will be obvious that fluid replacement in some circumstances need not occur.

I By means Aof remote control from the top of the well, the camera 19 and lamp 23 and are energized to take a photograph of the object and the environmental portion of the-casing 10. Although the lamp 23 is shown as mounted onthe lower end of the housing to illuminate the photographic iield, it should be understood that suchv illumination is v'satisfactory only where the fluid through which the photograph is taken is extremely clear. In most instances, even when the clearest of replacement iiuids 'are lutilized, it is preferable to position the lamp in spaced relation to the window 21 in the photographic eld of the apparatus, as on the sleeve 35 or other mounting means, not shown.

When the photograph has been taken, the pump 65 may be reversed to draw the iluid medium 27 from within the sleeve 35 upwardly through the transfer conduit 70 and back into the reservoir 26. Entrance of the liuid medium into the reservoir applies pressure on the bladder 28 and forces borehole uid 11 on the bladder outwardly through the ports 31.

While the sleeve 35 of the described embodiment is illustrated as opaque, it is to be understood that it is made or" transparent material if it is desired to take photographs through the sleeve of the wall of the borehole surrounding the sleeve. In such case, a camera having a wide angle lens is employed. Also, the apparatus can be lowered into a hole with the sleeve upwardly extended from the housing 15 and be operated for its intended purposes. ln such instance, however, the photographic uid 2.7 must be heavier than 4the well uid to remain in the sleeve 35 within the photographic field.

From the foregoing, it will be evident that a submersible borehole photographing apparatus has been provided which is adapted for taking photographs of objects in boreholes containing iiuid by utilizing a replacement fluid and without requiring circumscribing engagement of a fluid barrier with walls of the borehole. When such objects are upwardly extended in the borehole and lean in inclined position against the side thereof, the subject apparatus wedges such object away from the side Wall and holds the same in the photographic eld of the camera. While the apparatus has been described as usable in a borehole containing such opaque or translucent iiuids, it can advantageously be employed in even dry holes wherein fluid exchange is not required.

Although the invention has been herein shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In an apparatus for photographing an object in a borehole, a housing; a camera mounted in the housing having a predetermined photographic field externally of the housing; an elongated substantially rigid, uid impervious tubular member connected to the housing in circumscribing relation to said field of View and having an extended open end in endwardly spaced relation to the camera; means connected to the housing for lowering the housing, the camera, the tubular member into a borehole with said open end in elevationally spaced relation to the camera for receiving such an object and thereby disposing it in said photographic ield; yand an air vent member adapted to permit the passage of gas therethrough provided in the tubular member and having a receiving end disposed within the sleeve adjacent to the housing.

2. in a borehole photographing apparatus for photographing elongated objects rested in upwardly inclined position against the side of a borehole; an elongated housing 6 having a lower end portion and providing a longitudinal axis; means connected to the housing for lowering the same into such a borehole with said lower end portion downwardly disposed in the borehole; a camera mounted in the lower end portion of the housing having a predetermined substantially conical photographic field downwardly divergent from the lower end of the housing substantially concentric to said axis; an elongated, hollow, wedging sleeve secured to the lower end of the housing concentrically of said axis in circumscribing relation to said photographic field and downwardly divergently extended from the housing to an annular open lower wedging end adapted for insertion between the side of the borehole and such an object therein for wedging the object into the sleeve within said photographic field; and an air vent adapted to permit the passage of gas but to resist the passage of liquid therethrough mounted in the sleeve adjacent to the housing.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the sleeve includes a plurality of substantially cylindrical sections interconnected. in coaxial downward extension from the housing with the sections being of progressively increased diameter downwardly from the housing, and wherein the lowermost section of the sleeve is provided with a lower downwardly divergently ared end constituting said open annular end of the sleeve.

4. In a submersible borehole photographing apparatus adapted to take photographs in a borehole containing liquid in which an elongated object is upwardly extended in the borehole; an elongated huid-tight housing; a camera mounted in the housing providing a predetermined photographic field exteriorly of the housing; an elongated, uid imperforate, rigid tubular sleeve secured to the housing in circumscribing relation to the photographic field of the camera; extended from the housing in substantial alignment therewith, and having an extended open end; means connected to the housing for lowering the same into a uid containing borehole with the sleeve extended downwardly from the housing into the borehole in advance of the camera and adapted to receive such elongated objects through said open end whereby such objects are in said photographic field; an air vent adapted to permit the passage of gas but to resist the passage of liquid mounted in the sleeve adjacent to the housing whereby borehole liquid enters the sleeve during lowering of the housing in the borehole; and a liquid pumping system mounted in the housing including a reservoir containing a transp-arent liquid photographing medium, and a pump connected to the reservoir having an outlet within the sleeve for pumping the photographing medium to and from the sleeve, the maximum diameter of the extended end of the sleeve being greater than the maximum transverse dimension of the housing including the camera and the liquid pumping system.

5. A submersible photographing apparatus adapted t0 take photographs of elongated objects in a borehole containing substantially opaque borehole liquid and in which such object is in upwardly inclined position and rested against the side of the borehole comprising an elongated duid-tight housing having upper and lower end portions; a camera mounted in the housing having a generally conical photographic field endwardly divergently extended from the housing in substantially concentric relation to the axis thereof; an elongated, uid imperforate tubular wedging sleeve connected to the housing, coaxially endwardly extended from the lower end portion of the housing in circumscribing relation to the photographic eld thereof, and providing a lower annular downwardly divergently flared wedging end circumscribing an opening for the sleeve; means connected to the upper end portion of the housing for lowering the same into a borehole with the sleeve extended downwardly into the hole in advance of the housing whereby said wedging end of the sleeve is adapted to urge such objects in the hole away from the side of the hole into the photographic field of the `camere Within the sleeve; an air valve mounted incident to operation vof the pump, 4the -housing being in the sleeve adjacent to the housing adapted to pass ported to receive Well uidexternally of the bladder for gas but to resist the passage of liquid therethrough; a pressure equalizing purposes. hollow elastic bladder within the housing containing a Y, transparent fluid photographic medium adapted for eX- 5 References Cited m the me of'thl's 'Patnt pansion Vand ontrction therein; and a pump mounted YUNITED STATES PATENTS within the housing having an inlet connected t0 the 2,812,697 Laval Ne v.12,1f957 bladder and an outlet within the sleeve adjacent to the lowerend portion of the housing whereby borehole fluid FOREIGN PATENTS in the sleevetis displaced by said photographing medium 10 805,994 Great Britain Dec. 17 1958 

